Discovery
by ObsidionDragonProject
Summary: One year after the two become a couple, Carly finally gets fed up with Sam's laziness, and decides to take matters into her own hands. Afterwards, both find out more about each other and, more importantly themselves. Warning: spanking and suggestive theme
1. Chapter 1

Sam dozed in Carly's couch. She had done absolutely nothing that Saturday and was quite proud to say so. The couch was comfortable. She had chicken. Life was going rather well.

"Sam!" came Carly's voice from the stairwell. Sam smiled as Carly came into view. She had been dating Carly for nearly a year now, and she loved it. Carly stood in front of her, still sprawled across the couch, with her hands on her hips and a slight pout to her lips. With her curly black locks falling to her shoulders, it was almost too much for Sam to take.

"Yes love?" Sam let her voice drift from her throat, giving no effort at all.

"Weren't you supposed to clean the studio today?" There was a bit of annoyance to Carly's voice. It nearly sent Sam into joyous hysterics. Still, what Carly had said was true, she had been told to clean the studio, as they had a taping of the show today. She, of course, had preferred chicken over cleaning and, thus, never cleaned. No wonder Carly was annoyed. Carly raised an eyebrow as Sam nodded, half asleep.

"Well?" she said.

"Well what?" replied Sam.

"Aren't you going to go clean it?"

Sam sighed. She couldn't be bothered with cleaning when there was so much nothing to do. Her schedule was already full.

"Make Freddie do it."

"What?"

"Make Freddie do it, he likes that stuff, I think…"

Carly stared, open mouthed, at Sam. She always did this. Whenever Sam didn't want to do something, she told Carly to make Freddie do it. Until now, it had been things that Sam didn't know how to do, though she would never admit it. And, most of the time, Carly simply told Freddie to do it rather than fight Sam's stubborn streak. But this?

"No." she said.

Sam lifted her head up a bit, sure she had heard wrong.

"What?"

"I said no, I won't tell him to do it. It is your job, not his."

Sam couldn't believe what she was hearing. Carly was usually so submissive. If Sam wanted it, Sam got it. That was how the relationship had worked. But now Carly was fighting back. It was absurd. This had happed only one other time. Sam had done something then without thinking. She had remembered being surprised that Carly had stayed with her.

"Sam."

Her attention refocused on Carly, still standing defiantly.

"Tell Freddie,"

"No!"

The answer had been so quick that it threw Sam of guard. Now her temper started to boil. She wasn't even really sure why she was angry, but it didn't matter.

"Carly," said Sam, her voice shaking, "Go tell Freddie to do it."

"I will not," snapped Carly, her voice also shaking.

Sam said something then without thinking. As she blurted the words, she remembered saying them once before when she was angry with Carly.

"It looks like a certain someone," she threw extra emphasis on the word someone as she glared at Carly, "needs to get taught a lesson."

"It certainly does!" Carly snapped quickly as she grabbed Sam by the wrist.

The next few moments were both mind boggling and invisible to Sam, who soon found herself laid out across Carly's lap. Before Sam could protest, Carly raised her hand and brought it down across Sam's bottom with a loud SMACK!

Sam gasped, not expecting the blow. It stung her bottom much more than she would've expected from Carly, not that she ever expected this to come from Carly. She didn't really have time for any more thoughts as she fell victim to a rapid succession of slaps.

SMACK! SLAP! WHAP!

"OW! Carly what are you doing?"

"I'm teaching you a lesson!"

Carly's hand never stopped slapping Sam's bottom, which stung all over. Carly had to admit that Sam looked pretty cute in this position. She shook herself. She was supposed to be punishing her, not ogling her backside. She landed an extra hard smack in order to right herself.

"OW! AHH! OHH! OW!" was all that issued from Sam's mouth. She couldn't believe what was happening. Carly, cute, submissive Carly was spanking her? And with this amount of force? Absurd! She gasped as an extra hard slap rang across her butt.

After a couple minutes of not so silent slapping, mainly due to Sam's yelping, Carly stopped slapping to let her hand rest. She looked down at Sam, and her eyes widened. Sam was shaking, small tears stumbling across her cheeks.

"Sam?" Carly asked, a bit of fear staining her voice.

"What?" Sam snapped.

"Are you okay?"

Sam shook her head. She wasn't okay. She was scared. Halfway through the spanking, she had believed that Carly was going to leave. She had never seen her so angry. After fear, guilt had settled in her stomach. The guilt of every time that she had been rude to Carly. Guilt at telling her no simply because she didn't want to get up. Guilt at dumping everything on Freddie. Guilt of making Carly's life hell.

"No, I'm not okay."

Carly's mind began to race. Had she hit her to hard? Had she become too violent?

"But," Carly paused, surprised at the next words, "Please don't stop."

That shocked Carly.

"I..I…" Sam was scared. She was afraid Carly would leave unless she was beating her, and she needed Carly.

"I won't clean that room!" Sam blurted. "I won't do it, make Freddie do it, or go do it yourself 'cause I won't!"

That riled Carly up again.

"Oh really now?" Carly said as she slipped her fingers just under the waists of Sam's jeans.

"Yeah, I won't do it," said Sam, knowing what was about to happen. It was going to hurt, but losing Carly would be worse, so she needed to endure. She braced herself as Carly pulled her jeans down to her thighs with one swift tug.

For a moment, Carly was speechless. She hadn't really been prepared to go this far. She blushed as she stared down at Sam's simple white panties. Through them, she could see a bright pink bottom. She blushed again. She almost considered stopping, pulling Sam into a hug and forgiving her, but Sam had asked for it. She raised her hand.

SMACK!

Sam yelped. That swat had hurt much worse than any previous. Carly's hand rained down on her bottom. More tears stumbled alongside the first. _No!_ she thought, _Don't cry yet!_ Sam just barely managed to suppress her tears during the next couple of minutes. Her butt was on fire. She was sure she wouldn't sit for weeks.

Carly's arm hurt. She slowed down and finally stopped to let it rest. She could feel Sam shaking on her lap. Her bottom glowed through her panties. It was enough to make her blush again. She began to reach for Sam, to bring her to her chest, when she paused. Sam had nearly cried twice now. Was she just that stubborn? Or was it something else?

"Sam?"

She didn't answer. She couldn't. She was still focusing on keeping herself from crying.

"Sam? Why are you letting me do this?"

Sam was stunned. Carly had seen straight through her.

"Sam?"

"I…I…" Sam couldn't speak.

"Why are you letting me hurt you?"

"It doesn't hurt!"

"Yes it does! I see you fighting those tears!"

Sam was trying very hard not to cry. Very hard. Carly had always been kind to her.

"Because…Because…" she couldn't find the words.

"Sam. Tell me." Carly's voice took on a stern tone. Carly didn't know it was in her to use such a tone.

"I…I..I don't want you to leave. I know I haven't treated you or Freddie well. I know it hurts you when I argue and dump things on Freddie. I know you're angry. I don't want you to leave." Tears were rolling freely down her cheeks now as she sniffed and let out short sobs.

Carly was shocked. Her? Leave Sam? It was crazy to even think about. But there was some truth to what she said. She did hate it when Sam was lazy. She was angry, sort of, though most of her anger had left her now. She shook her head.

"I wouldn't leave you."

Sam went still for a moment.

"Wha-What?" she choked out.

"I wouldn't leave you."

That sent Sam into a full weep as Carly dragged her into her arms. There she wept into Carly's shoulder for a good five minutes as Carly rubbed her back and hummed a soft tune. When her tears stopped, she drew back to look Carly in her smiling face. Sam gulped. She was stubborn, and a certain memory still hung about her mind.

"Um..Carly?" she began tentatively.

"Yes?"

"Could you um… what I mean is umm… can you…"

Carly chuckled. "What do you want Sam?"

"Can you… um…" Sam drew a deep breath, and said, "Can you spank me a little more"

Carly was extremely shocked. "Wha-Why?"

"Because I spanked you once, and I really hurt you, and I haven't forgotten and I still feel guilty so please just do it!" The words rushed from her. She regretted saying them as soon as they left her mouth. Another spanking? She was absolutely crazy. Then the image of Carly crying on the couch settled her. She was convinced that she made the right choice.

Carly looked at Sam for a moment as if she had hit her head on something really hard. She knew what she was talking about, but it had been so long ago.

"You know I kinda deserved it Sam."

"No you didn't!"

"I broke your computer; I think that deserves a spanking, if anything."

"But you didn't deserve what I did to you!" Sam said, exasperated. "I seriously hurt you."

"No you didn't." Carly said defiantly.

"You were bleeding!" Sam nearly shouted.

Carly looked away from her. It was true. Sam had spanked her so hard that she had actually bled.

"I never blamed you." She said in a quiet voice.

Sam shook her head. "I know, but I did."

Carly turned and looked into Sam's brown eyes. They were brimming with tears.

"Alright." She said. She couldn't say no to Sam. "But I won't make you bleed."

"I deserve it."

"No, you don't, and you don't get to decide how hard it is."

Carly was back to a stern voice. She shivered. She wasn't used to it.

Sam looked down. "Okay." She whispered.

"Alright," Carly said, steeling herself for what she was sure was going to be the hardest thing in the world for her to do, "Bend over."

Sam stiffened for only a moment as she realized that there wasn't any turning back. She laid herself back across Carly's lap.

Carly steeled herself. She started to raise her hand, then had a better idea. If she was going to have to punish her girlfriend, she might as well do it properly. She grabbed the waistband of Sam's panties and gave a tug.

Sam gasped as she felt her panties slide down her sore rump. She was getting it bare. She shuddered at the thought, then braced for the impending impact.

SMACK!

Carly's hand landed on her bottom. Sam let out a loud yelp. All of the early swats paled compared to this. It did more than sting, it burned. A tear slid down her cheek. And that was only the first.

Carly watched her handprint fade on Sam's red bottom. She couldn't believe that she was doing this. It obviously hurt Sam, but she had practically begged Carly for it, so she had to continue. _Hang on Sam!_

SMACK! SLAP! WHAP! SPANK! SMACK!

Sam yelped with each spank. She was sobbing now. It hurt, a lot, but I also didn't somehow.

Carly felt the same way. Her hand hurt. It hurt her to do this to Sam, and yet it didn't.

SMACK! SMACK! SLAP!

Sam didn't know what was going on anymore. She hurt. She knew that. She was getting spanked. She knew that to. But why did she feel so good? Weren't spankings supposed to feel bad?

Carly confused as well. She didn't like hurting people. In fact she was known as a pacifist. So why was she enjoying this?

SMACK!

Sam was fully crying, but she also felt a warmth in her stomach.

Carly felt the same warmth.

SMACK!

The last swat fell on a swollen bottom. Sam was crying. Carly was panting. Both still had a warm glow in their stomachs. Sam slowly lifted herself from Carly's lap. She didn't madly rub her butt as she had expected to. She wanted to feel the pain, to know that all was forgiven, even if Carly had already forgiven her long ago. She pulled her pants and panties up to protect her modesty, causing a wince and a sharp intake of breath. Carly heard both of these, and chuckled a bit. She stood up next to Sam, who glared at her for laughing. They stared into each other's eyes for a few moments, and then fell into a hurricane of passionate kisses. They drew away from each other for breath and fell onto the couch, delivering another gasp from Sam. Carly chuckled again.

"What's so funny?" Sam asked, a little belligerently.

"You're kinda cute when you've been spanked." Carly giggled.

Sam was absolutely flabbergasted, which caused Carly to giggle again.

"Shut up." Sam said, pushing Carly a little.

"Tut tut tut," Said Carly in a mock stern tone, "play nice or I'll have to spank you again."

Sam gaped at Carly, then pouted, which, incidentally, caused more giggles. Sam was only pretending to pout though, and soon both were kissing again.

Carly only broke the kiss when the phone rang. Sam really pouted this time. When she came back, she put her hands back on her hips.

"I don't know how you did it, but Freddie's sick."

Sam looked dumbfounded.

"There won't be any iCarly tonight."

Sam's expression didn't change.

Carly sighed. Sam had gotten out of a chore again. Still, this was an opportunity for some other plans.

"Get up."

Sam did as she was told.

"Where are we going?"

"To my room."

Sam was confused.

"Why? I will have to go home soon."

"Nope, you are staying here tonight," Carly stated matter of factly.

"Does Spencer know?"

"He's out of town for the next week."

"Oh," Sam said, "so, um, what are we doing in your room?"

Carly winked. Sam wasn't catching on, so she said, "I think that I've been rather naughty, and need to be punished."

Carly wasn't sure why she wanted it, but she wanted it, and, in the heat of the moment, was willing to work for it. Sam was stunned. The warmth in her stomach returned with the force of a bullet, rendering her motionless. Carly winked, turned, and sauntered up her staircase, swaying her hips seductively.

"Come up when you're ready."

Sam gulped as the door closed behind Carly. She stood, rooted to the spot for a moment, her mind barely keeping pace with the events. It finally clicked in her muddled mind that Carly actually _wanted_ her to spank her, really _wanted_ it. She smiled a moment, the thought of Carly's cute little bottom bouncing to the rhythm of her falling hand. She shook herself. It seemed so odd to even think of a spanking in such a manner. But right now, that didn't matter. Carly was waiting for her. She checked her hair in the mirror, nervous, but finding nothing wrong, and entered the elevator to Carly's room.


	2. Chapter 2

"Come up when you are ready."

Carly closed the door behind her, excited. Sam's stupor would break soon, and then the fun would start. But first, she needed to prepare. She ran over to the mirror, futzing with her hair until it was perfect. Then she went to her closet. Sam was going to get a shock, again.

Sam pressed the button on the elevator, still smiling, and it began a slow climb to Carly's room. She was so lucky. So incredibly lucky. The elevator dinged, signaling the end of the ride. The doors slid open, and Sam gasped.

Carly was laid on her bed dressed in a plain, whit button up shirt, a red tie, and a short, plaid skirt. Sam could barely move. When she found her voice, she asked, "Carly? What's that you're wearing?"

Carly looked up, as if she'd just noticed Sam. She gave a short shrug. The outfit had had the desired effect, it seemed. Sam scooted over to Carly's bed, blushing impressively.

"H-Hey there."

Carly laughed. Her voice rang out like a blue bird singing its summer tune. "Well don't act so nervous, you're not the one 'in trouble'!"

"R-right."

Carly laughed again. She stood up and pushed Sam into a sitting position on her bed, causing her to wince. Chuckling at Sam, she said, "How do you want me?"

Sam, still blushing uncontrollably, stuttered, "What?"

"What position do you want me in silly?"

"Oh, um… I don't know, whatever you want, I guess."

Carly sighed. She obviously wasn't going to get anywhere with Sam, today at least. She slowly lowered herself onto Sam's lap, sprawling out in such a way as to make her bottom lift upwards, inviting Sam to do as she pleased.

"I'm ready," she said, more than a little seductively.

"O-ok." Sam lifted her hand. She blushed again. Carly was making this very easy, dressed as she was. Sam was having a hard time just trying not to have a nosebleed. Her hand reached as high as it would go. She stopped. She needed to hurry up, Carly was letting out impatient moans, but she couldn't. A thought was blocking her. Sam was yelling at Carly, a broken computer between them. Carly was crying on the couch. Sam was washing blood off of her hands. A tear ran down her cheek.

She pushed Carly off of her so suddenly that Carly just barely caught herself. Sam had stood, turned away from her. She thought she could hear sobbing.

"Sam?"

Sam didn't say anything. She just wiped her tears on her jacket.

"Sam?" Carly asked more urgently.

Sam looked at her over her shoulder. Tears were streaming down her face. Then she ran out of the room. Carly followed but couldn't catch her. Sam was out of the apartment soon and Carly had no idea where she had gone. Her Sam had left her. She sat down and began to cry.

Sam was crying to as she ran down the street. The images were still flashing in her mind. She couldn't do it. She couldn't hurt Carly again, even if she had asked her to. She couldn't even take the risk. She stopped to catch her breath, already many blocks from Carly's apartment. When she looked up, she didn't recognize where she was. She was standing amidst the gravestones of some old churchyard positioned between two corporate warehouses. She had never seen this place before. She saw an old oak tree rising from the exact center of the graveyard. Her muscles were tired from running. She walked over to the oak and sat down still breathing hard.

"That's a little weird Carly."

Freddie, sick as he may be, had walked straight across the hall when Carly had called him. She had cried on him and told him everything. He listened; slightly disturbed at what his friends had been doing just across the hall. The most disturbing thing that he had been told, at least in his opinion, was that Sam had run away. He had never known Sam to be scared of anything.

"I know Fred, but I don't know what to do." Carly burst into tears again. He tried to calm her, but he just didn't know what to say. In the end, he was just a shoulder to cry on, and really, he didn't mind.

"Mind if I sit with you?"

Sam jumped, startled by the old man's silent appearance. His hair was long and completely white, but his face was strong and undamaged by time.

"Sure."

Sam didn't really care who this old man was, and she didn't really want to find out, but something compelled her to let him sit anyway. She didn't have to talk to him. He sat with a contented sigh, leaning against the tree next to her, but not too close for Sam's comfort.

"Do you have any family buried here?"

The question was innocent enough. Sam shook her head.

"Just like hanging out in graveyards?"

Again she shook her head. She didn't want to talk, especially to some strange old man.

"Running away from something?"

She looked at him then in stunned silence. Did everybody have the ability to read her like a book?

"Yes, I thought you might be. Not much other reason that people come here."

She still didn't say anything; the situation was just too weird.

"I won't ask what you're runnin' from, but I can tell you this."

Sam leaned in close, hanging on his every word, though she didn't really know why.

"I planted this tree sixty years ago, back when my wife and I got married. We took care of this tree like it was one of our own. Six years ago, my wife died. Cancer took her. I still take care of this tree." He looked up fondly at the leaves of the oak. "Two years ago, every person was moved from this graveyard, including my wife, in order to make way for commercial apartments. Today, bulldozers are going to come and tear this tree down, and level this area. But this tree and I have had plenty of good times together, and I won't let it go. I won't let this tree go."

Sam saw his face stiffen. He stood up.

"Now young lady, whatever you're running from can't be as bad as bulldozers, so go back and face it."

She looked up at him. In his face she saw strength, determination, and complete honesty. "Don't let your tree die, young lady. Face down whatever you're runnin' from, and win."

"You can't win against a bulldozer sir."

"Maybe so, but I love this tree, so I'll fight anyway."

Then she understood. He nodded, and she turned. She looked back at him one more time, memorizing his face. Then, she ran back to the apartment building, the sounds of bulldozers echoing behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

_When did it get so late?_

Sam was running back to Carly's apartment. The way was rather difficult, as she hadn't really looked where she was going when she ran away and it was really dark. Why in sam hell did she ever decide to not watch where she was going in Seattle? She turned a corner, and ran into someone's chest, knocking them both over.

"Sorry!"

"No, its fine." The boy looked up at her. Something about him seemed familiar, but she didn't really have time to figure it out. She helped him up, then set back to running.

"She didn't go to your house? I see, well let me know if you see her. Bye."

Carly hung up the phone. So Sam hadn't even gone home. Carly sat down on her couch, utterly distraught. She would go look for Sam, she really would, but she had no clue of where to start. After all, Seattle was an enormous place. Freddie would've been helping, but he started to throw up, so he was currently guarding the toilet. She put her head in her hands. _Sam, come home._

Well, Sam was trying. She had turned another corner to find herself staring at a really big man. She thought that he had said something, but she couldn't understand it because his speech slurred so much. She could smell alcohol on his breath. He was drunk.

"Hey therrre prretty ladie. Whhatcha doin' tonight?"

She tried to ignore him and keep going, but he grabbed her arm.

"Now don't be gi*hic*ven me the cold ssshhoulderr prretty ladie! I jusht want to *hic* 'ave sume fun!"

"Let go of me!"

"Na' don't be like tha'."

Sam struggled, but he definitely had muscle for a reason.

"Na' I like a girl wif a bit o' fight in 'er!"

"Let me go!"

"She said to let her go." A voice said from behind her.

The man looked up in time to find a foot connecting with his face. He toppled over, releasing Sam. She looked up at her rescuer. It was the boy that she had knocked over earlier. He stood looking at the drunken man with an air of finality to him. The man got up, glaring at the boy. His face now sported a footprint and red of rage paint. He charged the boy, who simply stepped out of the way, allowing the man to run headlong into a wall, knocking himself unconscious. Sam watched, frozen. The boy turned to her.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, still not believing what she had just seen. He started to shuffle about, nervous under her stare.

"What?"

"N-nothing. Um…Thanks for the help. Did you follow me all of the way here?"

The boy nodded, then pulled something from his pocket.

"You dropped this."

He handed her a small leather square. It was her wallet. It must've fallen out of her jacket when she knocked him over. She looked up to thank him again, but he was gone. She looked around, startled by his sudden disappearance, until she heard the drunk man begin to stir, at which point she sprinted off.

It was midnight. Freddie had gone home to puke because he didn't want to mess up Carly's toilet. A least he was nice about it. She had called Spencer to update him on the Sam situation. He had been rather calm telling her "Don't worry, Sam will come around." His words didn't really calm her down at all. Now she sat waiting, and worrying. _Sam._ She started to cry again.

_Every contractor in Seattle can go to hell!_

Sam was still lost. Seattle was a really big place. She was so incredibly tired. Her muscles ached. Ahead of her was a bench. She sat gratefully. Her rest lasted only a couple of seconds, however, before she was interrupted.

"Sam? Is that you?"

She looked up to find herself staring at Gibby, one of her classmates. He wasn't exactly slim., and for some reason loved to take off his shirt at random times, but he was a loyal friend, exactly the kind of person she wanted to run into right now.

"Yeah its me."

"What are you doing out here so late?"

Gibby was always a stickler for the time.

"Trying to get back to Carly's place, but I'm lost."

She hated to admit anything like what she had just admitted, but she had had one wild night and no longer cared about her reputation. He looked at her for a moment and laughed. She glared at him. Everyone was really cheerful today apparently.

"Well come on Sam, I'll get my mom to drive us."

She jumped up and gave Gibby something that she didn't normally give people, a hug. Gibby nearly had a heart attack.

"Oh thank you Gibby! You're really a life saver."

"N-no problem."

She released him and they walked together towards his house. He shook himself when she wasn't looking. It was going to take him weeks to get over the shock.

Carly looked up at the clock again. It was two thirty in the morning and Sam still hadn't come back. Worry crept back into her stomach where a warm glow had been merely a couple hours ago. She should've never made the advance. It had caused her so much pain. She really didn't know what she had been thinking when she had done it. She had just been so excited. She shook herself. What she had done was in the past. She should turn herself to the present. Except that that was still fraught with worry. She looked at the clock again. Nothing had changed. Now she was just fidgety.

"You really love her, don't you?"

She looked up. Freddie was leaning in the doorway. She nodded. He walked in, sighing, and sat down next to her. She didn't look at him. She just kept holding her picture of Sam and her in front of a museum, where they had first realized their feelings for each other. He noticed and sighed again. They both knew that he had feelings for her. They both knew that those feelings would never be realized. He shook his head.

"I always hated her for it."

She looked up at him. He wasn't looking at her, he was staring at the wall.

"Really?"

"She took you from me. Of course I hated her, but," he turned to look at her now, "you obviously love her, don't you?"

"Yes, I do."

She turned back to the picture, tears slowly falling onto it. He saw this. He had seen every tear during the past year. Every time she had cried, he had wished to hold her, to make the bad things go away, but he had kept his distance, allowing Sam to take that job. Now he hugged her.

"I still love you Carly."

He didn't mean to say it, it had just slipped out.

"I know Fred. I know."

He knew that she would never love him back, but it didn't really bother him for some reason. He held her at arm's length.

"I'm going to go find Sam."

"What?"

"If she makes you happy, then the least I can do is make sure that she's here for you."

He got up and practically leaped out of the room. She watched him go, smiling. He was such a good friend.

Gibby's car pulled up to the apartment building.

"We're here!" came his mother's voice to the back of the suv. Sam thanked both Gibby and his mother for the ride, then walked into the building. She was finally back. The clock over the clerk's desk read 2:30 a.m. It was really late. She didn't even say hello to the clerk as she shot up the stairs. Halfway up the stairwell, she berated herself for not using the elevator. A little ways into her self-loathing, she ran into someone for the third time that night.

"Sam?"

She looked up to see Freddie standing in front of her. He stared at her, flabbergasted.

"Where have you been? Carly's worried sick! For that matter I was to!"

"Long story Freddella."

She didn't explain. She just started up the stairs.

"She really loves you."

She heard it, and it stopped her dead in her tracks.

"What?"

"She really loves you. I mean _really_ loves you. Seriously. She's not even thinking about kicking your ass right now."

Sam was stunned. She thought that Carly would been in the mood to kill after what she'd done. Hell, she would've been.

"Really?"

He looked at her dumbfounded face and inwardly sighed. She really had had no clue about what she had.

"Yes. I however might kick your ass if you don't get it up to her pronto."

"Thanks Freddie."

"Get up there. I'm going to go puke."

He was still sick. She didn't wait to see if he would make good on his promise. She practically sprinted up the stairs. She stopped to catch her breath only when she was standing in front of Carly's door. She paused. If she went in, she would inevitably have to try to spank Carly, even if it wasn't for weeks. She might hurt Carly again. She began to turn, when she remembered a couple of words that seemed to have been said a very long time ago.

"Now, young lady, whatever you're runnin' from can't be as bad as bulldozers, so go back and face it."

She nodded to herself, then turned, and opened the door. She had made her decision. She would face it.


	4. Chapter 4

A boy sat on the top of a building, overlooking a graveyard, staring up at the night sky. It really doesn't do to call him a boy though, as he was nearly eighteen. He lay on his back, counting the stars. After reaching the one hundred mark, he took another look at what his grandfather had left him. The package held a necklace, silver with the Latin engraving 'In Pax Vigilantia. In Bellum Victoria. In Mortis Sacrificium.' and a smaller package that was labeled 'To: Sam'. At first he had wondered who this "Sam" was, and why they had meant so much to his grandfather, but he had met her earlier that night. She had the look that only came about when someone had met his grandpa. He still had no idea why his granddad wanted her to have whatever was inside the box, but it must've been important. The first duty of the new head of the order was to fulfill the wishes of the last head. He sighed. Three days until leadership fully passed to him. He sighed again. He didn't really want it, but it was his "duty" to take it. Still, it would at least give him something to do.

Sam flung the door open wide to see Carly look up at her. In her face, she saw the quickest change of expression that she had ever seen. Not that she got to see it for very long, as she was tackled not but two seconds later. Carly was beside herself with joy, nearly drowning Sam with her tears. Sam was a little confused. She had been the emotionally unstable one just a few hours ago, but now she had become the pillar between them. Crazy. It took Carly a couple of minutes to get a hold of herself, at which point she stopped choking Sam. They looked into each other's eyes. Sam was the first to break the silence.

"I'm back."

It wasn't much to say, but she didn't really care. Carly just nodded. They embraced then, Sam breathing in Carly's scent. She smelled of wildflowers in bloom. Sam made a promise to herself that she would never leave again. When they finally broke apart, Sam spoke again.

"Um, can I come inside now?"

That gave Carly a laugh. To Carly, the sound was strange, as if it hadn't been used in a very long time. She'd have to get used to it again. She let Sam in anyway and soon they were locked into each other's arms again, only this time they were sitting. Carly was fully vested in their kissing, giving everything she had, trying to convince Sam that she loved her, and she was doing a rather good job of it. Sam's thoughts, however, were somewhere else entirely. They were on Carly's butt to be exact. Carly hadn't changed since she had left. A chill shot down her spine. She would have to face it eventually, but it could wait for another few moments.

Freddie approached the door. It had been swung open and nearly blown off of its hinges. He started to enter, but stopped at the sight before him. They were kissing, a look of absolute bliss on both of their faces. Neither noticed him. Now he finally believed Carly. Sam was the one for her. He smiled then, and went home as silently as he could.

They broke apart several times to catch their breath, but neither wanted to be out of contact for long. Finally, Sam decided that she needed to say something.

"Um, Carly?"

Carly was breathing rather hard. So was Sam.

"Yes Sam?"

Ask the next question would easily become the hardest thing that she had ever done. Her mouth went dry. Her mind raced.

"Do you, um, do you…?"

She was finding it very hard to make words. Carly knew what she wanted to ask.

"Not if you don't want to. You don't have to do anything."

"I know, but if I don't do it now, I never will."

It was a realization that she had come to when she had talked to the old man. She would have to face it immediately or she would never face it. Carly looked at her for a moment, long enough to get Sam nervous, very nervous. Eventually, she nodded. Sam's heart beat even faster. Carly stood up, allowing Sam to take her by the hand, and led her to her room. She gently pushed Sam onto the bed when they arrived, but she didn't immediately join her.

"Are you sure that you want to do this?"

Sam looked straight into her eyes, confirming her wants. Carly sighed, but on the inside she was excited.

"I trust you Sam. Know that."

"I know."

Carly slowly put herself across Sam's lap, sensually as she could. Sam began to blush. She looked down at Carly.

"I'm ready Sam."

Sam gulped. Now she had to face her worst fear, hurting Carly again. She sat frozen. _Come on Sam, do something! _She thought to herself. Her hands moved slowly, as if they had just thawed. She decided to take baby steps and began to rub Carly's skirt. This elicited a moan from Carly, causing Sam's blush to spread and darken. _Okay, you've got that down, now do something else. _She gulped again. There was only one thing left to do. She raised her hand.

Carly felt her hand lift away. She was so excited. It was finally going to happen. The warm glow had returned to her stomach. She heard a swish, and braced herself.

Pat.

A pat was all that came of it. Carly was confused. Sam was much stronger than this.

Pat. Pat. Pat.

She looked up at Sam and giggled a bit. Sam's entire face, from the ears to her chin, was as red as a brick. Well, it was a start at least, but she wanted more, and she knew how to get it.

"You hit like a cheerleader."

Much like a fox's, Sam's ears perked up, and she paused mid-swing. Had Carly just compared her to a cheerleader? A giggling, no brained, prissy, arrogant, cheerleader?

WHAP!

Her hand came down with much more force.

"Ah!"

Her comment had had the desired effect. It had woken Sam up. Sam hated cheerleaders.

WHAP! SMACK! SLAP!

Carly kept yelping, but with pleasure, not pain, coloring her voice. Sam noticed it. _This isn't so bad. She likes this._ Sam positively beamed inwardly. She could do this without hurting her. She renewed her efforts, experimenting with her aim. Carly was completely entranced. She had never felt so good. It wasn't really because of the spanking though. Yes she enjoyed it, but having Sam back, truly back, was the greatest thing that she could ever experience.

Nearly fifteen minutes later, Carly was finally allowed to get up. She was smiling when she tackled Sam. Sam's grin however, put anything that she could muster to shame. She had done it. She had faced her fear, and won.

"See? That wasn't so bad was it?"

Carly always knew exactly what to say. It was quite the talent. Sam nodded. She couldn't really say anything. Her mouth wouldn't work right. She drew Carly into a slow kiss.

Sam awoke the next morning with a wide smile on her face. She turned to see Carly still asleep. She made sure not to wake her as she got up. Her grin turned mischievous as she took the only robe. She walked down the stairs of the apartment building to get the mail and the daily newspaper. Reading the paper was one of her private pleasures. When she got back to the apartment, she made coffee, knowing that Carly would want some when she awoke. She had never really liked coffee. It was just too bitter. Carly, however, loved the stuff so she made it dutifully for her every morning that she was at her place. While the coffee maker did its job, she flipped open the paper to see what all was new to the world. She only read the first headline before she dropped it.

Carly slowly opened her eyes. Sam wasn't in bed. She'd probably gone to make coffee. She was always grateful for that. She slowly pushed herself out of bed and made her way to the closet. Her robe was gone.

"Oh Sam," she giggled. She reached behind a box of old things and pulled out her spare robes. She was always a step ahead of Sam. She slowly made her way down the stairs. Sam was sitting on the couch, staring at the wall. The television wasn't on. She wasn't eating breakfast. Carly nearly asked what she was doing when she saw the newspaper. It was flipped to the headline. It read:

**Man Dies in Tragic Accident**

Norman Carter, age 72, died during the night, when a bulldozer exploded while he was trying to protect a tree from being bulldozed to make way for a corporate warehouse. Police investigated the scene and found that a leak in thee gas line of the dozer probably caused the explosion. "He loved that tree," says Norman's only grandson and living relative, Daniel Carter.

She didn't read anymore. She just sat by Sam.

"What's wrong?"

"He was the one who helped me get back here last night."

"Who?"

"Norman Carter."

Sam recounted the adventure that she'd had the night before. Now Carly understood. She flipped through the paper.

"Do you want to go to his funeral?"

"What?"

Carly showed her the date.

"It's at the end of the week. We can go if you want to pay your respects."

Sam looked up to Carly's eyes.

"I'd like that."

And so, they showed up to the Nature Cemetery three days later. There was only one other person attending. It was the boy she'd run into that night. Now she knew why he had looked so familiar. He was a spitting image of his grandfather, though maybe a bit younger. He said a simple hello when they sat. The service didn't last very long. When it was over they shook hands with Daniel. She thanked him for his help. Just before they left, he requested to talk to Sam in private, which Carly obliged, stepping away for a few minutes. He didn't say anything to Sam. He just handed her a small package and left. She looked down at the tiny box. It was indeed labeled with her name. She opened it carefully. Inside there was a note and a seed of a great oak. The note said 'I'm glad that you decided not to let your tree die, Mrs. Puckett. – Norman Carter.' She smiled, not caring how he had known her name. She took the seed out of the box. She knew exactly where she wanted to plant it.


	5. Epilogue

Daniel Carter stood at the entrance to a broken down subway transit tunnel. He had no Idea why the order decided that this was the appropriate place to hold the ceremony, but, then again, he didn't want to go through with it anyway. He sighed. It had been three days since his grandfather, Norman Carter, the last head of the order, had died. All power, as his only living relative, traditionally, would pass to him. He sighed. It was all so annoying. Still, there wasn't any way out of it at this point. He put on his grandfather's necklace, took one last look at freedom, and dutifully walked down the stairs.

2 years later…

Samantha Puckett stood in front of an oak sapling, talking to no one. She had been here for nearly an hour, doing so. No one had stopped to ask her why she was talking to herself, they all understood what was going on. She smiled to herself as she watered the sapling carefully. She had been taking care of this tree for nearly two years. Two whole years. She couldn't believe that it had already been that long. She smiled again.

"I'm a senior this year," she said. It was true. This would be the year that she finally graduated out of highschool. She hadn't decided what she wanted to do for college, but that could wait.

"I don't know what happened to Daniel. He used to be here a lot when I came to take care of the tree, but he just hasn't been here for a while. Oh well." She gave a big sigh as she set down to pail.

"I just want to thank you again, though you may not hear it. You really saved me, so, thanks." She smiled again. She was all smiles today. She had plenty of reason.

"Gibby, I told you about him, has gotten more muscle lately. I think it's a big improvement personally. He still likes to randomly take his shirt off, you know." She chuckled. It had always been a funny little habit of his.

"Freddie's even more of a computer geek nowadays. Great cameraman though." She really never had anything different to say about Freddie. He was always around, so she never really noticed any changes.

She was still lost in thought when she felt a hand grab her shoulder. She nearly jumped out of her skin.

"I thought you'd be here."

"Jeez, don't scare me like that Carly."

Carly had definitely changed a lot. She was taller. She had the look of a slimly muscled cheerleader, accented by skin tight jeans, and a woven, also skin tight, sweater. She smiled at Sam's expression. She still hadn't gotten over Carly scaring her. Sam just couldn't stay mad though. Carly gave her a little kiss, and then flipped her head toward her car.

"Come on or we'll be late for class."

She turned and walked toward the car. Sam started to follow, but stopped and turned back toward the tree, and the tombstone it was planted behind.

"I know I say it a lot, but, thanks again Mr. Carter."

She too turned to the vehicle. As soon as they had driven off, a man stepped out from behind a close memorial stone. He stood by the stone and watched the car speed off. He sighed. Two years had finally passed. Two very long years. He was finally nineteen, almost twenty. His part in this wish was finally over.

"I guess they're going to be just fine, grandfather.

**END**

**Authors Notes:**

And so finally ends this tale. I thought it went rather well for the first of hopefully many stories. I am sorry for the delay of this chapter. I was sick and couldn't get anything done until now.

I'm sure I've got people wondering about this whole "order" and "Daniel Carter" business that plays a quiet background here. I will answer those people with a simple "We'll See."

The story may seem rather short, but I assure you that nothing was left out. It was never intended to go any farther.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask within your reviews (as I read them religiously) or to drop me a pm.

Until next time - ObsidionDragonProject


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